The Foodshed Forum announces “A Tale of Two Towns: Addressing Food Insecurity in Greenwich”. This panel discussion will be held at the Greenwich Town Hall Meeting Room on Tuesday, October 10, 2023 from 7:00 – 8:30.
The event is free, and all are welcome.
Please RSVP in advance by emailing [email protected].
The root causes of food insecurity are systemic, complex, and fraught with inequities.
The panel will feature leaders from our community who work closely with food insecure families: Danielle Blaine, Greenwich Community Liaison and former Site Director for Food Rescue US – Fairfield County, Rob Moore, Vice President Community Impact Greenwich United Way, Demetria Nelson, Commissioner Greenwich Department of Human Services, Gaby Rattner, Executive Director Barbara’s House.
Ali Ghiorse, founder of The Foodshed Network, will moderate.
The panel will discuss fundamental barriers to accessing nourishing affordable food. Panelists will address the stigma and false assumptions that people, including children, endure because they are food insecure.
The discussion will highlight statewide and local solutions that include, and go beyond, emergency assistance. Initiatives such as Fridgeport, Food Rescue Fairfield County, CT Farm to School, SNAP, Universal School Meals, community gardens and farms, all aim to foster dignity and solidarity between neighbors.
Greenwich is home to some of the wealthiest families in Connecticut, but it is also home to families who struggle to afford their basic needs, such as housing, child care and food.
According to Community Eligibility Provision Annual Notification of Schools: School Level Data for 2023 – 24, four of Greenwich’s public schools have a notably high percentage of their student body eligible for free and reduced meals based on participation in other means tested programs: New Lebanon (43.06%), Hamilton Ave (38.03%), Julian Curtiss (37.10%) and Western Middle School (28.43%).
The Greenwich United Way’s Needs Assessment 2020 found that 7% of the town’s population live below the poverty level, and 22% are ALICE: Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed. Almost one third of Greenwich residents are just one family illness or missed paycheck away from financial catastrophe.
“I am looking forward to participating in this community conversation and helping to shed light on a third of our residents that are living a very different life than the one some of us are fortunate to have. It will be an eye opening evening and through this forum I hope we can all work together to advance the solutions that create a stronger community for all Greenwich residents,” stated Danielle Blaine, Greenwich Liaison and former Site Director at Food Rescue US – Fairfield County in a release.
No one is immune to financial hardship, regardless of one’s class status. Initiatives that work toward a just and equitable food system are powerful connectors, with great potential to lessen misconceptions, bridge disparities, and cultivate community.
For more information and to RSVP please see the invitation here.
For more information about The Foodshed Forum see here.
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